Brooke and Doug's Open House

We went to Brooke and Doug's open house tonight.

It was beautifully done.

Intimate with good food.  It was nice to see and visit with family and friends that we know.

Doug's parents hosted it at Red Butte Gardens Orangerie at the University of Utah.

Christmas Shopping

I went down the canyon this afternoon to get some Christmas shopping done.  There are just some things I can get here at Costco and Walmart that I can't get at those same stores at home.  Like Deseret Book items for a lot less than at Desert Book minus the shipping cost.  It feels so good to begin to gather those items.  And I also did some online ordering.  Bingo.  I purchased some generally summertime things on sale and no shipping cost!  Yahooie.  And it comes right to my door.  Ahhhh.

Then over to Deseret Book for the things I can't get at the above mentioned stores, and some serious browsing of the home department.  Can I just have one of everything and wrap it up, please?  The blue and white soup tureen and the large serving platter.  The blue beehive dessert plates.  The beehive jars.  Just a few.  You know.

Next to deliver the blanket set for Ashley and Cortney's new baby.  Every baby needs a new blanket, don't you agree?  We met up at her sister's house and I brought each of us a black and white cookie from The Sweet Tooth Fairy bakery shoppe.  We sat down in the living room and ate our treat and talked away.  She has had some scares at the end of this pregnancy.  Little Theo could be born this Thursday or by next Tuesday for sure.  They will be taking him early at 37 weeks. The doctor gave her encouraging news today at her appointment.

There's a First Time For Everything!

Sarah had never been in snow.  Believe it or not.  So when we woke up this morning to two inches of fresh snow on the ground and it was still falling, she was excited!  It was a beautiful sight I have to admit.  It was a wet, heavy snow and the flakes were big.

We went to church.  The sacrament speakers gave good talks.  We came home and had Sunday roast chicken dinner and then they packed up the car for the trip to the airport and the flight home.  School is back in tomorrow morning and Duff and I are staying for Brooke's open house tomorrow and the wedding on Tuesday.  Duff drove them to the airport and I stayed here and cleaned up dinner and worked on a white with a smidge-of-pink scalloped baby blanket for Baby Girl's blessing day.  It will be here before we know it.

Now we just have to decide what we are doing for the rest of the week and how we are doing it.  Too many things to do and places to be.

Football Fun

 The girls at the game.!

It was the 2nd coldest game I have ever been to. 30 degrees.

We were okay in the beginning.  But as time went by the temperature dropped and the wind came up a couple of times.  I layered okay, but my toes froze.  I wore my rain boots because the forecast predicted a chance for rain and snow, and it was snowing pretty good in Midway when we left for the game.  The vinyl wasn't very warm.

 Traditional 'Cougartail'.

A freshly baked maple bar that is loooonnng like a cougar's tail from the campus bakery.

Erik, Sarah, Christine.

Richard and Tyler were up for the weekend while Patti was at her quilting retreat.

They came up to the cabin for the afternoon before the game.

The dad's napped in each recliner with the Washington/USC game as their lullaby while the kids watched movies and played games in the game room.

At halftime, lots of people left because it was cold and we were winning by a lot, so Richard and Erik came down to sit with us.  The bun warmers and heater were on full blast for the drive home while we listened to the post-game show.  Our quarterback took some significant hits and broke some ribs which punctured his lung.  Heaps came back in and we won, but I'm nervous how he will do in the next couple of games while Riley is healing.

It was good times.

Just Because I Want To Remember

 Monday through Thursday I'd get to Natalie's at 8:15am, get John in the car seat and take her to work. Most of the time on the way home he and I stopped at Home Depot for all the little things you forget about when you move.

Cell phone pics.

He loved the car cart.

It was very hard to steer.  A kind employee gave me some tips and soon I was a pro at it.

He was very intrigued with the guy cutting the blinds for the bay kitchen window.

I didn't realize that you could get some pretty good blinds for a great price if you are a do-it-yourselfer.  Not that we are big do-it-yourselfers, but we try.

David put the brackets up and I got them cut to the right measurments and in they went.  What a difference!

11/11/11

You won't see this for quite some time again!

Where were we?

On interstate 15 just outside of St. George, Utah driving to the cabin.

Christine and Sarah had set their phone alarms and we all paused and made a wish at

 11:11am on 11-11-11.

Keeping my wish a secret for now!

Got here in really good time, and it seemed like it went by fast even though 10 hours is 10 hours.  The girls slept most of the trip, Duff drove the whole way and I crocheted burp cloths for the new baby coming.  Sarah introduced us to dark chocolate covered acai blueberries.  Yum!  It is COLD here.  Brrr.  We unloaded and then the girls and I went to town to get some groceries.  We have settled in for the night and are excited for tomorrow.  They say snow is coming.  Yes.

Also, a HUGE thank you to all the Veterans in our country who have fought and preserved our freedoms.  You are loved by us!

Hip Replacement

I hope I never have to have this surgery, but if I do, it's nice to know it can be done.

My mom had her 2 week post op appointment today.

The surgeon was thrilled with her progress.  He said she is recovering faster than he anticipated.  She can graduate to a cane now and put her walker away.  WOW!

She says the pain in her groin area is g o n e.  That has been bothering her for almost a year and she thought perhaps it was a hernia.  Nope.  Groin pain is a major indicator of a disintegrated hip joint.  It makes sense now to me, but at the time I thought hip pain would be up more by the top of the hip bone connected to the leg.

 The ball of her hip joint was disintegrated like in this picture.

They put in this new prosthetic joint piece.

She's been zipping around the kitchen.  Yeah.  Guess we were wrong thinking we could keep her out of there!  The doctor told her she'd be up cooking Thanksgiving dinner and feeling fine and looks like he was right.  Except that Thanksgiving dinner this year for them is at Linda and David's.

I got these pictures from the internet.

November 8, 9, 2011

For the last 3 days, I 've just been adjusting to be home again and getting ready to leave again.  I will have only been home 4 days and then gone again.  It's all good--really worthy--things.  The timing is just not ideal.  Kinda lousy actually.  The good thing I think though is that I knew it was going to be like this and I mentally prepared better for it and I'm not such a stress case as I thought I would be.

I have not done one bit of Christmas shopping yet.  This is terrible news for me.  For the last 5 years, I have almost been done at this point of the year.  I've just been gone so much I haven't had time to concentrate and do anything.  I have my ideas and kind of a plan.  I hope to get crackin' on this area soon.  Online shopping is my friend for Christmas.  The shipping costs make up for my time out looking and my gas running around.

Friday we leave for Utah and the football game and then Duff and I will stay for Brooke and Doug's wedding on Tuesday.

Build An Ark

I've always loved the story of Noah's Ark.  It was one of my favorites as a child.  I was enamored with Noah gathering all of the animals, the flood, his family, the people not listening to the prophet and repenting.  I couldn't figure out why the people didn't hear what he was saying.  It seemed so simple to me.  A child's faith, I suppose.  How did the world get so bad that God had to flood the whole earth?

Then the years go by and life happens.  Rain falls on all of us.  Sometimes a particular storm is more vicious than others.  Figurative floods rise up.  Are we safe?  Are we prepared?  As an adult now, I understand that if we aren't it can be easy to say as in the scriptures:  all is well in zion!  and be lulled into 'carnal security'. Or, I just need a time out for a while.

A ward Primary sang this song as part of their Sacrament Meeting Program. 

I was immediately captured by it.

It is a bright, fun tune with a powerful message.  This is one of those primary songs that the children will always remember!

I think every child should learn this song and let the message sink deep into their hearts. 

It is from The Friend magazine, September 2010.

I've been playing it on the piano everyday now. I love it!

Noah was a prophet,
A man who did not fear.
When he taught repentance the people would not hear.
So the Lord told him to build a boat
That could hold a ton and stay afloat.
Then Noah started building and said within his heart:
"I will build an ark before it starts to rain.
I will follow the Lord and do all things in His name.
I'll prepare every needful thing. 
I will walk in righteous ways.
When the rain starts to fall on me,
I'll be ready for that day."

I can be like Noah.
Yes, I can be prepared.
I can build my ark, and I'll find shelter there.
I can do the things I know are right.
I can learn and pray with all my might.
And when the storm clouds come, I'll be safe within my ark.
I will build my ark before it starts to rain.
I will follow the prophet, for he speaks in God's name.
I'll prepare every needful thing.
I will walk in righteous ways.
When the rain starts to fall on me
I'll be ready for that day.

I'm Home!

Dorothy was right.  There's no place like HOME!  The Wizard of Oz was on tv tonight and I watched and relished every bit of it.

I drove home today.  Made good time.  I'm glad I stayed yesterday.  I needed the rest.  I had rainy weather from Blythe on.  The cloud cover was nice.

Duff texted me:  where are you my super wife?  everyone's here for dinner tonight.  we have a roast in the oven.

I started crying.  Tired, emotional, and all of the above.  Just the thought of going home to my family overcame me.  It made me have conversations with myself.  I wonder if that's how it will be going home to heaven?  I think so.

Do Nothing Day.

It's rainy and cold here in AZ.  A dust storm blew in yesterday afternoon.  I thought it just looked cloudy, but when Natalie got home from work, she took me upstairs and showed me out the higher windows that it was indeed dust from blowing dirt off the desert.  We closed up the windows fast. 

I wanted to drive home today.  I just couldn't.  I'm tired.  Sore. Tired.  And need a day to recoup.  We pretty much did nothing.  I finished a baby blanket I've been working on.  Lisa made her recipe of cabbage soup which was delicious and hit the spot on an autumn day.  Cabbage, potatoes, onion, kielbasa, broth.  Good stuff.

We took some to mom and dad.  I needed to pick up Natalie's iron and take to them.  It was buried in a bunch of stuff in their garage.  Lisa and my dad and I were out looking for it and my mom came out, left her walker on the step and started moving boxes.  My dad went crazy.  She wasn't all that steady on her feet and if she would have taken a tumble it would undo all that hip surgery.  It is hard to keep her down.  She thinks she needs to be up doing things.  She stood at the kitchen sink and washed dishes yesterday.  She never has been one to sit and relax.  Some of that is probably generational and some of it is the German in her!

Thursday she broke out in a very bad rash.  It is terrible.  She can't get comfortable at all.  They don't know what it is from.  The home nurse thinks it could be from the tape and bandaging????

Hallelujah! Let's Save Thanksgiving!